11.23.2010

bemba at the ICC

A former vice president of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) went on trial at the International Criminal Court on Monday accused of letting his troops rape and kill in the Central African Republic.

Jean-Pierre Bemba, 48, is the most senior political leader to be detained so far by the ICC. He is charged with two counts of crimes against humanity and three counts of war crimes.

As the above article explains, this trial has implications for DRC's next presidential elections, scheduled for late 2011. Bemba is still hugely popular in western Congo, and Congolese President Joseph Kabila is today much less popular in his base of support in the east than he was in 2006 due to the failure to bring lasting peace to that region. Almost every knowledgeable observer expects that Kabila will remain president after the 2011 elections. What we don't yet know is who will run against him, or how he'll manage to win the election given how diminished is the level of popular support he currently enjoys.